A11 Thetford night closures- alt diversion route?

The forklift driver keeps arguing there’s a shorter way around the nightly roadwork closures on the A11 but he can’t explain where exactly I’m supposed to go as he doesn’t know the road numbers but swears there is one as he’s seen trucks using it. The official diversion adds 20 miles to my trip so it’s worth asking about it here…Artic, is 13’10. My sat nav does see a shorter way but route preview shows 2 “unnamed roads” so I’m not trusting it…Going down some untrimmed farm lanes in the dead of night is not my idea of a relaxed routine run. 1 vehicle parked in the wrong spot and I’d be stuck with little sympathy from local police as I would be off the official diversion route. Still if someone knows an alt route I’d like to know so I can scout it on g-maps and maybe give it a try if I feel adventurous.

ETS:
Going down some untrimmed farm lanes in the dead of night is not my idea of a relaxed routine run.

But if…

You’ve successfully found a legit route through, then it does become a relaxed routine again. It becomes rather fun knowing you’ve found a quicker way than the herd.

Years ago on nights, they closed the A14 westbound and the route back north to the A1 was miles longer. I found another way round the blockade and headed for it with a heavy 20 footer in the middle. When I got off the A14 at the closure, there was a highways vehicle parked by my ‘secret route home’, I just drove past it and carried on, they didn’t do a thing just kept looking at their phones. I went that way for the rest of the closure.

If you still have a map, show it to Mr Forky and get him to spill.

Not sure if this helps, but this is the way I came early hours Tuesday morning from Attleborough. Although there were road signs stating ‘Non-HGV’ diversion I had no problems getting through, no bridges to worry about.

If it’s closed from 1st Thetford roundabout to the 4th, just go straight thro middle of Thetford on the original A11.

djt1881:
Not sure if this helps, but this is the way I came early hours Tuesday morning from Attleborough. Although there were road signs stating ‘Non-HGV’ diversion I had no problems getting through, no bridges to worry about.

Is it actually quicker than the other one? I think I’ve used some of these B roads once when the main ones were closed due to floods and they were tiny-tiny, barely able to do 20mph most of the way due to tight turns/uneven/oncoming traffic/buildings in the way etc. Looks shorter but I don’t see it being faster.

@biggriffin, it’s closed from A1075 until the next roundabout, probably 10 miles in total? Which is why I find it hard to believe there’s a legit ‘shortcut’. The official diversion (if going east/north) is via A1066 (Diss) then A140 all the way to the A47 then back onto A11. Oh and that’s if you’re under 15’7" otherwise it’s even longer

Where are you goug to?Is it always late

You could always come off the A11 into Attleborough, then follow the B1077 through Old Buckenham, then turn right and follow the B1113 through Banham and Kenninnghall to Garboldisham where you pick up the A1066.
There’s a lovely corner in the middle of Banham, but you should be ok, the Egg factory at Kenninghall ran HGV’s ( going back 30 years there though :grimacing: ) and I’m sure up until recently, as a mate spotted them at Asda Warrington, that the lads at Banham Vehicle Services ran a HGV delivering Eggs to supermarket RDCs, they might still do, eggs are big business in that area.

ETS:

djt1881:
Not sure if this helps, but this is the way I came early hours Tuesday morning from Attleborough. Although there were road signs stating ‘Non-HGV’ diversion I had no problems getting through, no bridges to worry about.

Is it actually quicker than the other one? I think I’ve used some of these B roads once when the main ones were closed due to floods and they were tiny-tiny, barely able to do 20mph most of the way due to tight turns/uneven/oncoming traffic/buildings in the way etc. Looks shorter but I don’t see it being faster.

Well I got through fairly quickly and didn’t encounter anything tight except maybe for the Stow Bedon Rd part which was a single track, but I don’t think that is part of the official diversion, just where the sat-nav took me so didn’t meet any traffic, this was around 4am though.

djt1881:
Not sure if this helps, but this is the way I came early hours Tuesday morning from Attleborough. Although there were road signs stating ‘Non-HGV’ diversion I had no problems getting through, no bridges to worry about.

Tried it - only 3 miles longer compared to 20, 12 minutes added time compared to 30-35 mins on the other one. Now the issue is if you meet another vehicle on that Stow Bedon road you’re screwed as well as some other parts on the route, especially if the vehicle is big.